Patients have the option to secure an enhanced practice experience with more time, service and a closer doctor/patient relationship
 
ROCKVILLE CENTRE, NY – November 6, 2023 – Concierge Choice Physicians (CCP), the nation’s leading full-service concierge medical service provider, announces that Dipeshkumar Shah, MD, a private-practice internist in Northbrook, IL, has enrolled in the company’s Hybrid Choice™, program - an enhanced service that gives patients peace of mind with greater connectivity between doctor and patient. Dr. Shah will be offering the enhanced service and support program to his patients and taking over the Concierge Choice membership of retiring physician Dr. Jeffrey Glass as well.
 
Dr. Shah’s medical practice, Advanced Internal Medicine Associates, is an independent internal medicine practice that serves the greater Northbrook and Highland Park communities.  He has worked alongside retiring physician Dr. Jeffrey Glass for several years and was a natural choice to take over Dr. Glass’s concierge membership upon his retirement.
 
“Dr. Glass had a Concierge Choice program for ten years and was known for his personal attention and dedication to patients. That’s the style of medicine I like to practice as well,” says Dr. Shah. “I’m thrilled to welcome his membership to my practice and to introduce the Hybrid Choice option to my patients. It’s an excellent option for those who would benefit from more support and service in this complicated healthcare marketplace.” 
 
The Hybrid Choice by CCP is a unique membership medicine program that offers patients the opportunity to select the level of care and support they need. Patients can choose to join, or they may remain in the traditional practice.  No patients are dismissed. The program is simply an option for patients who want greater convenience, service, and the assurance that the physician who knows them and their health history will be available when they need care. For physicians, the program allows them to practice a satisfying style of medicine, where they can take their time with patients and provide more comprehensive lifestyle support than a traditional practice allows.
 
Membership benefits include: same-day/next-day appointments that are scheduled for longer so patients never feel rushed; a dedicated concierge coordinator at the office to answer calls and facilitate care; direct after-hours support via Dr. Shah’s private cell number; patient advocacy and enhanced coordination with specialists and other health providers; and a comprehensive annual exam with customized screenings for each patient. Dr. Shah will also admit and provide care to hospitalized members.
 
“CCP wishes Dr. Glass, our long-time client, all the best in this new chapter of his life, and we look forward to working closely with our new client, Dr. Dipeshkumar Shah, to continue to serve the Highland Park and Northbrook communities with the very best in medical service and support,” says Keith Elgart, Chief Operating Officer at Concierge Choice Physicians.
 
Dr. Shah’s practice, Advanced Internal Medicine Associates, is located at 666 Dundee Road, Suite 802, Northbrook, IL, 60062. His Hybrid Choice program is available for an annual membership fee. For more information, patients can call (877) 888-5590 or email members@ccpmd.com.
 
About Dipeshkumar Shah, MD
Dr. Dipeshkumar Shah is a board-certified internist serving patients in the Northbrook, Illinois area and surrounding communities. Dr. Shah attended Sardar Patel University and completed his Residency and Internship in Internal Medicine at the Saint Barnabas Hospital affiliated with Weill Medical College of Cornell University. He is currently affiliated with Northshore University health system, Highland Park Hospital, Skokie Hospital, and Glenbrook Hospital. Dr. Shah speaks English, Spanish, Hindi, Gujarati.
 
Dr. Shah treats patients for a variety of reasons including diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, asthma, arthritis , gastrointestinal problems, annual wellness exam, sleep problems, pre-surgery checkup, high blood pressure, athletes and more. Dr. Shah admits and provides inpatient care at Highland Park Hospital. Dr. Shah also follows his patients at various area nursing homes and rehab facilities. 
 
About Concierge Choice Physicians (CCP)
Dedicated to providing real options for patients and physicians, Concierge Choice Physicians™ is the largest private provider of the full range of concierge programs available today—Hybrid and FullFlex™. The company provides innovative, flexible and affordable models proven to work in medical practices of any size—from solo physicians to large medical practice corporations—both independent and affiliated with hospitals or health systems. Headquartered in Rockville Centre, NY, the company has worked with more than 500 physicians in 29 states. For more information, please visit www.ccpmd.com.
 

ROCKVILLE CENTRE, NY – October 20, 2023 – Concierge Choice Physicians (CCP), the nation’s leading full-service concierge medical service provider, announces today that seven physicians from Santa Monica Family Physicians and The Doctors of Saint John’s are now offering CCP’s Hybrid Choice™, an enhanced practice experience that gives patients greater connectivity and support from their chosen doctor.

Unlike conventional concierge programs, CCP’s Hybrid Choice program is a unique style of membership medicine that works well in large healthcare organizations like these. It allows physicians to provide the utmost in patient service to just those patients who want it, while continuing to see and care for all of the patients in their network. Patients are able to choose the practice experience they want. No patients are ever turned away and the physicians continue to accept insurance and Medicare. A portion of the revenue generated from membership fees goes to support St. John’s charitable mission to serve all, especially those who are poor and vulnerable.

Patients who want this enhanced practice experience can choose from the following physicians in Los Angeles or Santa Monica:

• Linda Narvaez, MD at 12555 W. Jefferson Blvd, Suite 301, Los Angeles, CA 90066
• Gabriel Niles, MD at 12555 W. Jefferson Blvd, Suite 301, Los Angeles, CA 90066

• Daina Danovitch, MD at 2701 Ocean Park Blvd, Suite 118, Santa Monica CA 90405
• Mehran Movassaghi, MD at 2001 Santa Monica Blvd, Suite 460W, Santa Monica, CA 90404
• Mark Needham, MD at 901 Wilshire Blvd, Floor 3, Santa Monica, CA 90401
• Pouya Shafipour, MD, at 1831 Wilshire Blvd, Suite B, Santa Monica CA 90403
• Ruth A. Sorotzkin, MD at 1811 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 201, Santa Monica CA 90403

Healthcare organizations like Santa Monica Family Physicians and The Doctors of Saint John’s are increasingly looking toward membership medicine as a way to satisfy patients who are looking for more service and support, generate much needed revenue, and improve physician satisfaction. In fact, large medical groups are now the fastest growing market for CCP.

“The current healthcare marketplace is extremely challenging for both patients and physicians,” says Keith Elgart, Chief Operating Officer at Concierge Choice Physicians. “With the tremendous need for services, it can be hard for stressed-out doctors to find a balance between excellence in service and the mission to serve all. Our Hybrid Choice program helps medical practices maintain that balance and thrive. We are thrilled to work with the excellent physicians at St. John’s in their mission to provide the highest level of care to all patients.”

The Hybrid Choice is available for an annual membership fee. For more information on the program, or to join, contact Concierge Choice Physicians at (877) 888-5590.

About Concierge Choice Physicians (CCP)
Dedicated to providing real options for patients and physicians, Concierge Choice Physicians™ is the largest private provider of the full range of concierge programs available today—Hybrid and FullFlex™. The company provides innovative, flexible and affordable models proven to work in medical practices of any size—from solo physicians to large medical practice corporations—both independent and affiliated with hospitals or health systems. Headquartered in Rockville Centre, NY, the company has worked with more than 300 physicians in 29 states. For more information, please visit www.choice.md.

by Wayne Lipton, Managing Partner, Concierge Choice Physicians

Unless a physician does not participate in third party payments at all, they are not in direct control of their compensation for services, and neither are their employers.  Salaries are generally tied in some way to productivity, whether in real dollars or RVUs (Relative Value Units), or with a base salary and bonuses. The rates paid are decided by a third party, like Medicare or insurance plans. On the other hand, concierge programs are funded privately, directly by patients. But how can this work when not all patients in a practice need or can afford the enhanced practice experience created by this recurring revenue model that exists outside of fee for services?

When first reviewed by government sponsored studies, there were only a small number of physicians offering concierge care. Almost all of the membership models were full-model programs, where an existing practice began offering patients membership that included non-covered benefits.  Only a few physicians offered this in part, but it intrigued me.  Could physicians practice both traditional and membership medicine?

When I began exploring the partial approach, I called it the “Hybrid Model” of concierge care. I learned that it was much more appealing to physicians who were reluctant to go for the “gun to the head” approach that the more conventional full model concierge approach used. “Pay, join or leave the practice” felt risky, and was certainly not appealing to the vast majority of patients who would have to leave the practice for the benefit of the few that wanted membership and could afford it.

That’s why it is the Hybrid Model of concierge medicine that, over the last 20 years, has proven to be the model that best serves the needs of all patients—traditional and concierge, physicians, and even healthcare organizations. It’s an effective way to control a portion of a medical practice’s revenue stream without incurring risk, dismissing patients, or damaging the mission to care for all.

​In my next post, I will talk about how the Hybrid Model has spread well beyond primary care and has solved many of the economic and professional issues many practices are grappling with, and how they can be crafted to solve different issues without displacing patients or requiring the exit from insurance plans that help patients afford care.